Tips for Effective Online Media
Email is an excellent tool for communicating with media. It is a cost-effective way to quickly distribute press releases and newsletters, and is also useful for submitting letters to the editor or opinion articles. Electronic press releases and newsletters can also be posted to your Web site.
Distribute
email press releases in plain text.
Draft your press release as you would any other email message. Never
send press releases as attachments to email, or attach other documents
to email press releases. If you need to prepare a paper copy of the
press release, copy and paste the text into a word processing document
(such as Microsoft Word) after the release is written in the email
browser.
Keep the
text brief and focused.
An electronic press release should follow the same "pyramid" format
as any other press release. Start with the most important information
(and remember the five "W's" - who, what, where, when and why).
Use short paragraphs and keep it brief.
Write a subject line that's
compelling or provocative.
Keep in mind that the subject line is the first thing reporters will
see when they download your release. Never email a press release (or
any other message) with a blank subject line.
Include your electronic
contact information.
Remember to include your email address and Web site URL in addition to
your phone and fax number, and address. Put all your contact information
at the top of the press release.
Use hyper-links where appropriate.
If there is additional information available on your Web site -- such
as a white paper or an event announcement -- include a hyper-link so
reporters can click right to it. Online publications will often include
these links in their stories, making this an effective way to direct
visitors to your Web site.
Send a test message before distributing
your press release.
Always send a copy of the press release to yourself or to a colleague
before distributing it. Check the format to make sure there are no broken
lines of text, and check for any mistyped Web URLs by testing them to
make sure they work.
Avoid disclosing the recipients' email addresses.
Always type the recipients' addresses in the "Bcc" field of
your email message header, rather than in the "To" or "Cc" field.
Post
your organization's media contact information on the home page of your
Web site.
Be sure to keep the contact information up-to-date, and include information
on how reporters can be added to your mailing list.
Treat email
media inquiries the same as phone inquiries.
Always respond just as promptly to email media inquiries as you would
to phone calls. Reporters who work for online publications are much more
likely to contact you by email than by phone. If you're responsible for
answering media inquiries, check your email frequently throughout the
day.
Set up an online archive for your media communications.
Set aside an area of your Web site where reporters can locate past press
releases. (If you publish a newsletter in electronic form, maintain an
online archive of past issues, as well.)
Post press releases only
to appropriate lists, news groups, and publications.
If you plan to post your press release to any email discussion lists,
news groups or online publications, make sure the topic of your release
is appropriate content for the list or Web site. If your press release
announces a new report on air pollution, it would not be appropriate
content for a forum for race car enthusiasts, for example.
Collect
email addresses from your media contacts.
If you've been distributing your press releases by fax or postal mail,
ask your media contacts if you can switch to email distribution. Commercial
media directors routinely include email contact information. There are
also media directories and news services specifically for online publications
that may be appropriate to add to your media list.
Limit the
size of your email message window.
In many email browsers, text that is longer than the width of the
message window will
"wrap" to the next line. (When text is set to "wrap," you
don't need to hit the
"return" key at the end of every line.) If the size of your message
window is set for more than about 75, the automatic "wrap" may result
in broken lines of text.
Source: The Virtual Activist by NetAction
